CANADA STOCKS-TSX may open lower, U.S. earnings eyed

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Toronto's main stock index looked set to
open lower on Tuesday, tracking Wall Street, as investors
remained cautious with hours to go before the start of the U.S.
corporate earnings season, which could influence the market's
near-term direction.

Investors could also focus on a European Central Bank's
policy meeting and economic data from China due later in the
week.

TOP STORIES

* Business morale in the euro zone improved again in
December, but unemployment hit a new record and households held
back from spending before Christmas, suggesting the bloc's
emergence from recession will be slow.

* China's annual economic growth may have quickened to 7.8
percent in the fourth quarter a Reuters poll showed, snapping
seven straight quarters of weaker expansion, but the recovery is
likely to be tepid and the economy may need continued policy
support.

* Barrick Gold Corp has ended talks to sell a stake
in majority-owned African Barrick Gold to a Chinese buyer,
dashing hopes of a potential $3 billion deal for the
underperforming unit.

* Samsung Electronics, the world leader in mobiles and memory
chips, said it likely earned a quarterly profit of $8.3 billion,
as it sold close to 500 handsets a minute and as demand picked
up for the flat screens it makes for mobile devices, including
those for rival Apple Inc products.